editing services

I work with poets and writers at any stage of the writing process: ideation, structuring, revision, final edits.

consultations and edits

For poets, I provide manuscript consultations for books & chapbooks, with an emphasis on developing themes, sequencing, and deeper revision suggestions. I also provide line edits, though this is not the emphasis, unless specifically requested. I offer & encourage the option for a tarot consultation in relation to your current book project.

As a prose editor, I primarily work with essays and other short non-fiction texts, including artist books. I work very carefully at the sentence level. I’m particularly open to working on English edits of texts originally composed in languages other than English.

rates

My editing rate is sliding scale $70-100/hour. I can provide an estimate for your individual project once I have a sense of your needs. Typically, a round of editorial feedback on a poetry manuscript requires 6-7 hours.

I provide discounted rates for poets and writers serious about nurturing their work despite experiencing financial hardship, especially those impacted by racism, transphobia, and/or other forms of discrimination. Please be in touch.

selected career highlights

editing projects include:

  • No, Dear magazine: 40+ poetry issues, chapbooks, special projects, and poets in conversation

  • A wide range of poetry manuscripts

  • Memoir, artist books, and other prose projects

  • Nearly 50 VIDA Essays (full list here), including work written by Mirene Arsanios, Amy Berkowitz, Natalie Eilbert, Hafizah Geter, Lo Kwa Mei-en & Morgan Parker.

curatorial projects include:

  • Lineage Reading Series @ Wendy’s Subway

  • Autumn 2022 Poetry Broadside Series, Center for Book Arts

  • Yellow Wallpaper Reading Series, with Monica McClure

  • Revision Reading Series, with Matt L Roar

  • COUNTERCLOCKWISE sound experiments curation, with Eric Pitra for Landscape

reach out

read what clients say

  • “After completing the first draft of my first collection of poems, I froze. I suddenly realized that I was too close to the project to understand how to arrange it, what belongs, what is missing, and how to engage with the work without anxiety or imposter syndrome. I turned to emily brandt for editorial support, and their careful and caring eye gave me energy and hope toward the project that I do not believe I could felt without them. They combed through each poem with an open heart and my concerns in mind, making individual line edits, praising what worked, suggesting cuts and reconceptualization for that which felt underdeveloped, and validating my right to tell my story. emily took the time to understand technical and spiritual challenges together and addressed the latter not only with compassionate feedback but by offering a deeply intimate and catalyzing tarot reading about my relationship to the work, and therefore, necessarily, myself. I could not recommend emily more to anyone looking for skilled, authoritative, unpretentious, and loving editorial support for their work.”

  • “Emily has a keen and thoughtful eye. She respects the integrity of each person’s work while exploring ways to make it shine brighter. Emily brings her sharp and gentle awareness to every aspect of your work. She is to be counted on.”

  • "Emily understood the complexity of the subjects in my book and gave thoughtful edits as well as a poetic touch on the various styles of text from different authors. She also provided great solutions to meet the specific word counts due to the needs of the design layout, which was extremely helpful."

  • "Emily is a thoughtful and encouraging editor. She simultaneously challenges the writer and puts them at ease."